Baghdadi dead

Newsweek reports:

The United States military has conducted a special operations raid targeting one of its most high-value targets, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State militant group (ISIS), Newsweek has learned. President Donald Trump approved the mission nearly a week before it took place.

A U.S. Army official briefed on the results of the operation told Newsweek that Baghdadi was killed in the raid, and the Defense Department told the White House they have “high confidence” that the high-value target killed was Baghdadi, but further verification is pending DNA and biometric testing. The senior Pentagon official said there was a brief firefight when U.S. forces entered the compound in Idlib’s Barisha village and that Baghdadi then killed himself by detonating a suicide vest. Family members were present. According to Pentagon sources, no children were harmed in the raid but two Baghdadi wives were killed after detonating their own explosive vests.

A fitting end to them. It seems like a highly successful mission with no US casualties and the ISIS leader dead. Always a risk approving such a mission, but one which paid off so credit to everyone from the President down to those in the raid.

ISIS has lost all its territory but still remained a significant threat. This won’t be the end of ISIS, but it is a big blow to them as Baghdadi was the driving force behind them.